Copyright Clarity
Before I started reading Copyright Clarity, I wrote down some questions I have always had about copyright and fair use. Some of these questions came directly from my daily practice, like; can I use images I found on the web to make flashcards? How about downloading a video to share it with the parents for back to school night? Is it ok if I use the melody of a song to create a catchy content tune for my students? What if I share students’ creations online?
These questions were always in the back of my mind, but I never did much about them. After reading the book, I realized that I was between the see no evil and close door trends. I kept doing my own thing, casually wondering about copyright and fearing that if I learn about it, many restrictions will come with that knowledge.
Well, I was wrong. I realized that copyright is not a way to “scare” educators or to restrict our teaching just to protect financial interests. Copyright, as Renee Hobbs explains it, is a way to balance the rights of owners and user. For me, it was refreshing to know that as a user I have rights too. Now I understand that fair use is a case by case discussion and that the key element is transformativeness. After our class discussion, I already had a new set of questions that were far more important, and that would let me analyze my own teaching decisions regarding copyright. Am I creating a new perspective on this piece of work? Is my audience different? Am I or my student reshaping the purpose of this element?
What this means in my practice is that I need to stop my “ignorance is bliss” attitude and start making conscious decisions about the materials I use in class. With my actions I am modeling for my students that are not too young to start learning about copyright from the example I decide to set.
As I read all of our groupmember's posts, it seems like we were all in the same boat before reading Copyright Clarity. It definitely gave me an aha and liberated me in using copyrighted materials.
ReplyDeleteI definitely identify with your point about fear. I felt fearful of copyright restrictions at times. I think that fear has no place in education. If we truly want to inspire our students, they should not be fearful about the academic requirements of school.
ReplyDeleteA lot of times, we are in fact using others' products differently (in terms of what their initial purpose of the piece was) and to now be able to relate that to fair use is super important in my opinion. There are usually many questions, but using the four factors that we learned about in Copyright Clarity will definitely help to clear up any confusion!
ReplyDeleteI’ve been using the “ignorance is bliss” strategy for years. I am glad I now have a working knowledge to make an informed decision on the use of material.
ReplyDeleteAs an ESOL teachers, I know pictures and real-world connections are invaluable to you. I bet this new found freedom will impact your students for the better and you will be able to share resources with them without fear.
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